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Haslam says he didn't know about rebate issues

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Story Created:
May 16, 2013 at 9:02 PM CDT

Story Updated:
May 16, 2013 at 9:02 PM CDT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam says he was "absolutely not" aware of and did not participate in the practices that led to the federal investigation into his Pilot Flying J company.

Haslam, who bought the Browns last year, says he takes responsibility for what happens at his company, a truck-stop chain that is the nation's largest diesel fuel retailer.

He says as soon as they found out what happened, they took "an aggressive stance" toward fixing it. Federal investigators allege that Pilot deliberately withheld rebates to boost profits.

Haslam was in Indianapolis to speak at a transportation seminar. This was his first public question and answer session since the FBI raided company headquarters April 15. Haslam answered predetermined questions asked by former Kansas governor and American Trucking Associations president Bill Graves.